duplicitymemes | TDM #16

Entry tags:

«tdm

TDM #16

« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »

« « « ALL ON DISPLAY

It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Yet, solace is found in the lies we tell each other, comforted by the peace of knowing that we're not alone in our depravity, and once on this path, sin itself becomes the lesser of two evils masked in a cloud of normalcy.

This is how Duplicity has functioned since the beginning. The divide of power and social standing is overt in that Dominants influence the decisions made both publicly and privately while Submissives cater to the rules presented to them. It is the way of Duplicity to assign random designations at birth with no leeway in altering what has been given. Climate in the Up is far stricter than that of the Down; violating outlined personas for a Dominant or Submissive while in full view of others is punished by degree of infraction. In the Down, many tend to turn a blind eye to these sorts of offenses.

To counteract the discovery of the Deceit Gene – a natural "negative" response to all stimuli – the L.I.E.S. program was founded. The program had been designed to introduce new subjects to the current environment and test for the Deceit Gene through immersion in Duplicity's standing society. Sexual impulses and encounters increase the chances of detecting the gene within these individuals. Participants are typically released from L.I.E.S. after a year; however, results have remained unsatisfactory and testing still continues.

... and you’re here! Finally! Welcome to Duplicity.

After choosing a door and stepping through to the other side, the first thing that greets you are the enthusiastic faces of people in medical scrubs and pristine lab coats. Their enthusiasm translates to eagerness as they strip you of your clothes to perform a thorough examination—you will be healed, bathed, and given a paper gown to wear until your items can be processed and delivered to your residence later in the evening. You are also given a device that accesses the network as well as the time and location of orientation.

If you enter Duplicity into the Up, congratulations! You’re a Dominant, which means you are immediately picked up by a limo after processing and taken to your high rise. Here, it is two Dominants per floor with separate apartments. If you enter Duplicity into the Down, congratulations! You’re a Submissive, which means you are directed towards public transportation with the address of the motel you’ll be living in. Here, it is two Submissives per room with a shared common space for all rooms.

Enjoy your free time until orientation! Participation is mandatory by all new and old arrivals.

The weather is rather cold and icy.

» » » WALKING TOUR

The cold, icy winter weather has seen to it that there is an unfortunate interruption with the usual city tour for the newest arrivals to Duplicity. Some of the train tracks have a dangerous amount of ice coating them and sections of travel are now unavailable via train.

City officials still believe that the tours are important to integrate new LIERs to Duplicity so they have organised personal walking tours held by current LIERs. New arrivals will be paired with their own tour guide; they can take the suggested path or take their barely dressed charge on a more ad-hoc tour. It might be considerate to let them change into something warmer first!

Important landmarks and checkpoints like Fiddler’s Square, North Park, The Up and Down Courts, the People Zoo and of course S.L.U.T. need to be marked off on the tours but there have also been fun local stores which have set-ups for free samples and information booklets. What order and how people travel to them is up to them.

« « « GALLERIA OF SEX

(CW: exhibitionism, voyeurism, dub/non-con)

One of the stops along these new walking tours is a temporary educational art installation that has been set up to display and talk about the rich variety of kinks that are popular in Duplicity. Newcomers are invited to come inside the building, sit on the human furniture to watch and learn or volunteer to participate themselves.

Each section has local LIERs and graduated citizens there to help walk those new to the program through the displays, explaining the appeal and draw of each kink.

Live demonstrations or performance art are carried out by LIERs who have volunteered, been conscripted or are fulfilling a sentence that would normally land them in the People Zoo. They can and will ask anyone and everyone to step up and be part of the artwork themselves.

Some of the displays set up will feature:

Naked Submissives have been bound and posed with their bodies arched in visually pleasing positions. They are surrounded with candles burning around them and guests are invited to drip the hot wax across their bodies to add to the artwork that is their naked skin.
Zap your lover or the volunteers with an electrical wand and discover the way it can make the skin tingle and muscles tense in just the right place at just the right moment.
The image of cum dripping from a well used Submissive is considering something to appreciate visually so stations have been set up with glory holes and kneeling participants to have their faces and buttocks painted over the course of the day.
A variety of whips, canes and paddles have been set out next to padded benches for Submissives to bend themselves over. The marks they leave are something to be proud of.
No art display in Duplicity is complete without an ode to bondage, one room will be entirely devoted to participants being suspended from the ceiling, held in positions that will test their stamina and flexibility and leave the most gorgeous bruises.

We encourage players not to limit themselves in regards to what is on display. There are many more kinks than the ones listed, and Duplicity considers all kinds of sexual acts a form of art.

Photo taking is encouraged throughout the exhibition, especially when your own participation is concerned. If you missed the chance to do so, in the moment, you need not worry as the gift shop at the end of the gallery will have many different prints taken over the course of the exhibition available for purchase. Take home a keepsake of your first day in Duplicity.

« « « ICE TO SEE YOU

(CW: exhibitionism)

Winter does make it harder in Duplicity to enjoy all the pleasures of the flesh that could be on offer in the warmer months. Most who live in the city still need to wrap up with many layers when the weather turns so chilly. But that’s not saying that the city can’t find ways to help keep its residents in the mood.

It will first be noticeable to those trying their hand at streaming or posting video footage onto the network. Regardless of a character's state of dress while recording, they will appear completely naked to those watching and no amount of covering up with more articles of material will change that.

Others might see it as they set about on their first days getting used to the city’s layout, glancing into a shop window they will notice their own state of undress in their reflection. You might even see it in a particularly shiny bit of ice but no matter where you look, all reflective surfaces will show everyone in their birthday suits, naked as the day they were born.

« « « BLADES OF GLORY

(CW: exhibitionism, dubcon, drugging)

In a bid to encourage individuals to get out and keep active despite the chilly weather, the city has transformed one of the large tennis courts in the Up into a makeshift outdoor skating rink. In the recreation building attached to the courts-turned-rink the change rooms have been outfitted for people to change into more appropriate clothing. There is also at the front of the building an area to rent skates.

Many who get on the ice see no reason to keep apart, as many contracted couples can be seen holding hands or chasing each other as they skate. In the change rooms it isn’t uncommon to see a bit of hanky panky or people getting off at helping others in and out of their skates. There also seems to be a small hot chocolate stand set up inside the building where characters can buy a warm drink to sip on while taking a break from skating. The drink may leave those that consume it feeling especially warm and frisky, with perhaps a bit of extra energy they need to burn off - skating might not cut it.

« « « MOD & OOC NOTES

Please read carefully.

On each Test Drive Meme, there will be a section noting character roles; these will vary each TDM. On an IC level, characters will still have gone through the doors but assignments OOCly are still randomized. When applying, there is a section of the application that denotes whether the character chooses "left" or "right". When participating on the TDM, there will be a third option. Players may link either a top level or a thread (five or more comments from their character) from the TDM and title the link as "Door Pass". This means that the player is choosing to take the designation that they were randomly assigned on the TDM, rather than taking the designation of a door. If the player decides to select a door rather than use the pass, then they are trying their luck; they may get the same designation they had on the TDM or the opposite. Once the application is submitted, players can't change their choice.

To assign roles to characters for this TDM, use the following guide: If your character would rather have a dog for a pet they are Dominant. If they would rather have a cat for a pet they are Submissive. If your character is from a canon that has neither, pick the choice you believe they would prefer more.

To Note: Characters can only swap their designation for one of the following reasons: an event occurs that allows it or there are OOC reasons that make it a necessity. Any swap always requires mod approval and each character can only ever switch once. Characters that are being reapped will keep their previous designation but players can choose to use new tdms with different designations for fun!

Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have a good time!!

» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Wedding?!

[ he's so startled he almost drops his drink. Part of him is offended that Magnus would get married without him, but most of it is surprise Magnus would get married at all. It took years, two children, and the law being changed for him to get married to Alexander Lightwood.

Once he's past that though, there's another layer of shock, that you can get settled into the city, fall in love, get married, and wake up to your partner being gone. He reaches out to squeeze Magnus' leg. ]

Bloody hell.

[ Ragnor's reaction -- the true feeling behind it -- is lost on Magnus. Instead, the warlock feels a fool. He knew better. But Lucy had convinced him that his fears, while well-founded, should be pushed aside. Because it was worth it.

And it was. On the good days, he knows that it was.

His hand falls atop of Ragnor's. ]

I shouldn't have. I mean, I should have. I wanted to. But I knew that this might happen. George had left us. It would be her or I one day. But she made me feel...

[ He shakes his head. ] She made me feel like no one else. And she asked and I said no. At first. But over time, I just... I couldn't say no again.

... there might be a way to track her down once one of us is out of here.

[ it's not easy, but well, Ragnor is the world's leading expert in dimensional magic and Magnus, as much as it pains Ragnor to admit, is a genius, so it shouldn't be impossible. ]

[ Magnus squeezes Ragnor's hand. Though what he says is: ]

Thank you, my friend.

[ The tone with which he says it is just a little bit defeated, not inspired. ]

I suppose there's always a chance.

[ He squeezes his hand back, frowning at the tone. It's not like the Magnus he knows, and he can't tell if the city has broken him, or if his life has been different enough for him to be less optimistic. ]

Tell me about yourself.

[ Not quite broken, but not whole and hale, either. It's been a long time, Ragnor.

He blinks at the question. He sort of assumes that Ragnor would know everything about him, even if he were from a different dimension. Everything that matters should be the same. ]

High Warlock of Brooklyn, New York by way of Indonesia. Dismal parentage, stunning fashion sense, questionable taste in friends. I run an apothecary here with a woman named Margo and we did shots of her experimental concoction the other day that made us see green and violet stars as well as puke our brains out. Alec is my Submissive and has been for about a month now. Drink like a fish and, oh, the powers that be gave me a charango for the holidays.

[ Now he grins. ] Want to hear?

[ Ragnor knows a diversion when he sees one, but it works, briefly, because the mention of the charango alone brings back horrible, traumatizing memories. ]

If I see you anywhere near that thing I will set it on fire.

[ he mulls over the rest of it. He knew all of that already, but it's obvious Magnus is sticking to superficial details on purpose. ]

What was the drink meant to do?

[ Magnus pouts briefly. He's been practicing.

He doesn't want to get into the details of his life, the nitty-gritty, out of fear of what is different. That he's different. He knows it must be true, but he doesn't want to admit to it. ]

Who knows. [ He shrugs. ] There was this mold and fungi growing in the Down? Sniffing the spores got you high, more or less. Touching the mushrooms made you violently ill. Cooking them made you, well, horny and truthful. We tried to parlay the pure mushrooms into something more useful.

Why on Earth would you do that?

[ Magnus can make potions that do all of those things without touching the mystery mushrooms. But then again, he's also the person who presses the "do not press button" so the question answers itself. He waves a hand immediately. ]

Never mind. This Margo subscribes to your brand of chaos then.

To an extent. I think she's a little bit saner than me. [ Magnus admits this as an aside, slyly given. ]

I've got a few friends who put up with me like you or Cat might. You'll see them around. George, of course. But also Hope. [ Small pause. ] Morrigan. Ignacio. Nate.

...You know what, just don't sleep with George or Hope and assume I know everyone.

I can tell when someone is a teenager, Magnus.

[ He assumes Hope is young too. ]

... helping inexperienced mundanes meet their quotas?

[ Ragnor doesn't think he could do that himself, but Magnus has always been a kinder, more selfless person than himself. ]

[ Magnus replies with a blithe: ] I have no idea what you're talking about. [ And takes a sip of his drink. ]

But I'm glad Hope isn't here to hear you say that because I wouldn't protect you.

You're intimidated by a teenager?

[ He's a little amused by that. And curious too, Magnus isn't an easy man to intimidate. ]

Okay, first of all. [ He downs the last of his drink. ] You say teenager like it's a bad thing. Like you or I couldn't turn a man to ash at age eighteen.

Second of all, she's a witch, a werewolf, and a vampire. All at once. Okay?

[ He leans back and crosses his legs casually. ]

And third, I'm not intimidated. I'm just not willing to sacrifice myself to help you.

[ Ragnor could not have turned a man to ash at 18, probably. Ragnor picked up magic much more slowly than Magnus did, but of course he won't just say that. Plus, the part about witchwerewolfvampire is more important. ]

It is outrageously rude of you to make things up after the day I've had.

[ he believes him too, which just makes it worse. ]

[ Magnus tsks and shakes his head, knowing that Ragnor believes him, even though it's fucking unbelievable. ]

She turned the beach to glass, Ragnor. Because her father disappeared.

To glass.

A powerful witch then.

[ He doesn't have enough context for this conversation, but if Magnus is impressed then it must have been a lot of the beach. ]

Is her father still missing?

No, thank goodness. It was one of those temporary, the program wants to fuck with you things. [ He smiles sarcastically as he fills his glass again. ] You'll get used to it.

[ He sniffs and brings the glass to his lips again. ] Though, frankly he's a douche.

Ah.

[ somehow this makes perfect sense, Magnus dating someone and gaining the disapproval of their surely super powerful parent. ]

This means the father is at least two out of the three things, does it not? What is he? Vampire-werewolf? Witch-vampire?

Vampire-werewolf.

[ Magnus takes a sip of his drink and shakes his head. ]

How that's even possible? I don't know. But apparently he's very old. Older than me, even. If I ever get that crotchety in my old age, shoot me.

...Somewhere not vital and easily disguised but where it'll leave a cool scar I can impress people with.

Dark magic, most likely.

[ He's not usually a heavy drinker, but he's on his third drink now and has no intention of slowing down. ]

I thought you had a [ he air quotes ] "cool" scar already. You were almost cut in two during The Uprising.

[ The Magnus from his world was, anyway. But maybe there was no Uprising in the other universe. ]

[ Magnus doesn't intend to let either of them slow down until they're passed out on the couch. He's needed this, a chance to get drunk and talk about all sorts with a friend whose known him for as long as Ragnor has.

Even when there's moments like this where he has no idea what he's talking about. ]

Hm? Who dared cut me in two?

Valentine Morgenstern. I only learned about it much later, from Catarina, I doubt even she got the whole story.

[ There's a veiled accusation there, not directed at this Magnus, but he's sure every version of him downplays serious matters. ]

[ Magnus snorts out a dry laugh at that. ]

He wishes he could have gotten with five feet of me.

Our little dance did not end in any scars for me, cool or otherwise.

[ Though that does remind him. Wasn't it a Lightwood that wanted to get after those werewolf children? He would have to... definitely not check that with Alec and never mention it. ]

If he wishes that, he is more of an idiot in your world than mine. He still lives then?

[ He is still trying to work out the timeline. The Mortal War doesn't have to be a constant, but it usually is. ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject